Hosting mid-week: need quick impressive recipes!

[Gentlemanwiththistledownhair]

We have a guest for dinner this week, someone connected to DP's work. They (dp and guest) are friendly, but I have never met him before.

Apparently he "eats anything" and is coming for dinner mid-week, arriving approx 45mins after we get home from work. Any ideas about what to cook?

I'm a reasonable cook, but am stuck for inspiration. We usually host at the weekend because we enjoy spending an afternoon cooking, so none of my hosting recipes are suitable.

Not adverse to cooking something in advance to heat up, but in that case fancy something outside the usual Bolognese / chilli dishes.

It's not going to be a posh evening, but I want to impress!

My easiest recipe:
Chicken breasts with a pesto crust (made of herby cream cheese, basil, breadcrumbs and pesto) roasted, then after 1/2 hour add vine tomatoes and sprinkle w balsamic, another 10 min. Serve w crushed new potatoes and green veg (broccoli, carrots, beans etc...)
Works for me!!!!

In this situation I would dig out the Gousto recipe cards I kept from the period when we used them a couple of years back. Their recipes are often online too.

They’re designed to be quick, so if you do all the prep the evening before and make sure you’re ready to fly with it as soon as you get home, it should work.

I did this for casual visitors recently and it went down really well - summery and quick but not boring.

www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/fish-recipes/scandi-salmon-with-horseradish-mayo

(I don’t really mean do the prep the night before, that sounds weird. Just meant make sure you have all the stuff organised for maximum streamlining)

Halloumi and watermelon salad with lemon vinaigrette- v easy starter, slow cooker beef in ale with ready mash and good bread, then bought nice cheesecake. Done

Since you won't have much time, keep it simple, light and summery.
Starter of Caprese salad of sliced tomatoes (should be some nice ones available now) sliced mozzarella and fresh basil leaves with a balsamic dressing.

Main Baked salmon in foil parcels served with a green vegetable eg green beans or grated and rapidly stirfried courgette, or a fennel and pink grapefruit salad. Serve with a watercress mayonnaise if liked.

Pudding Raspberries with greek yoghurt and honey or white peaches sliced into Beaumes de Venise.

Cod with red pesto wrapped in pancetta tray bake. Baked on bed of sweet potato wedges, red onions, peppers, cherry tomatoes and courgettes. Can be prepped the night before just bung in the oven, if you want to add anything too it fresh bread and salad. Super simple but looks and tastes good.

Melon wrapped in Parma ham, olives, other marinated things from nice deli

A soup like this made in advance: www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spring-minestrone-soup-with-pistachio-pesto?intcid=inline_amp

With homemade cheese straws (puff pastry and parmesan is all you need)

Or chicken involtini, something like this: www.google.com/amp/s/www.gourmettraveller.com.au/amp/recipes/fast-recipes/chicken-involtini-with-white-polenta-13108

Could be served with salad and crusty bread in this weather

Dessert: ice cream with fresh seasonal fruit. Other nice make-ahead options are Panna cotta or a semifreddo

Salmon en croute www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/a500161/salmon-en-croute/